The Spiritual Discipline of Latch-Hooking: Part B

This is part 2 of a 4 part series on spiritual truths that I can to realize as I made a latch-hook rug. You can find part 1 here.

Latch-Hook Truth  6: I enjoy making latch-hook rugs because it requires my time and dedication, but it gives me time to think, pray, sing, listen to audio books (learn), and to be still.

Spiritual Truth 6: I need to make time in my life to worship, be still, pray, and study the Bible.

Latch-Hook Truth 7: Pre-planning and laying out my row can save me time, but if I'm not careful, everything can get jumbled together.

Spiritual Truth 7: The best-laid plans of men can fail. Sometimes I outline my day, but it doesn't go as planned.

Latch-Hook Truth 8: Every row does not use every color in the pattern. There are times when I use a lot of blues and times when I use a lot of browns. There comes a time when I am finished with a color for the rest of the rug and there are times when I pull a color back out from the finished pile, because I really wasn't done with it.

Spiritual Truth 8: There are seasons of life. Some seasons are happy, others are drab or even sad. At the close of a season, an activity may be put aside until a future season or set aside forever.

Latch-Hook Truth 9: Not everyone will understand my love of making latch-hook rugs. I pay to buy the kit, I sort the strands, I pour my time into the rug, and finally it is done. (this rug will take over 76 hours from my 2017-2018 evenings, and that's not counting all the time I spent in 2016-2017 in pre-sorting the strands). Not everyone will understand the draw of sitting quietly, sometimes with a lecture, song, or prayer to join me for a row or twenty.

Spiritual Truth 9: Not everyone will understand my faith or my motives. I say no to a lot of customary worldly things & activities so that I can better say yes to God. I pour my time, energy, and money into following and worshiping God. Some people might think that I am crazy or deluded, when they see my actions and leave about Who motivates me to act.

Latch-Hook Truth 10: It is so hard to keep a completed rug for myself. The joy is in creating and the joy is in sharing. It is a gift that includes time, money, prayer-wrapped strands, and effort.

Spiritual Truth 10: This news is too good to keep to myself. It must be shared often and repeatedly.

The Spiritual Discipline of Latch-Hooking: Part A

Does the title of this post seem to be a contradiction, an oxymoron? Are you asking yourself how a craft can be a Spiritual Discipline?

Yet for me, I see so many parallels between my faith & my craft. I learn so many life lessons while sitting at the latch-hook table.

Latch-Hook Truth 1: I must first buy the kit before I can begin the work.

Spiritual Truth 1: I must first submit to Jesus' Lordship in my life through repentance and committing to follow & obey Him. Then the work can start.

Latch-Hook Truth 2: I start my work by pre-sorting all the colors. Latch-hook kits come with bundles with strands of yarn that are all mixed together. The first task is to sort the strands by color so that I don't have to go hunting for 20 more dark blue when I need more.

Spiritual Truth 2: I start my work by prayer. I do not jump straight into the work without first taking time to pray about the need, God's guidance, and how best to proceed in a way to glorify God. Without prayer to start my task, I end up missing key steps, doubling back, or dropping the project out of discouragement. Luke 14:28 tells us to count the cost before we begin to make sure that we can complete it.

Latch-Hook Truth 3: I am given a pattern to follow, but I must commit to following it. I don't always understand why the pattern calls for a strand of a particular color here but not there, so I need to decide if I will follow the pattern when I don't understand why or if I will branch out and go my own way.

Spiritual Truth 3: I am given instructions on how to live and obey God, but I must decide to follow it. These instructions do not always make sense, so the choice is before me. Will I obey even when I don't understand or will I branch out and go my own way?

Latch-Hook Truth 4: Things do not go well when I branch out and go my own way. I see a small bit of the completed latch-hook as I build it strand by strand and row by row. I can look back at what I've completed, but the remainder of the rug is blank until I fill it in. Discordant colors blend when they are side by side. The nuisances of colors add depth to the final product.

Spiritual Truth 4: Things do not go well when I branch out and go my own way. I see a small bit of how my life interacts with others as we go through life together. I can look back at what I have experienced, but the rest of my life is unknown until I live it. Discordant events somehow fit together even when they seem to clash initially. Depths of emotions and understanding add depth to my life.

Latch-Hook Truth 5: I can only complete a rug strand by strand, row by row, day by day. It will not be finished in an hour, or day, (and in this case 11 months), but takes time, effort, and commitment.

Spiritual Truth 5: I can only live my life moment by moment, day by day, year by year. This is not a sprint or even a marathon, but takes a lifetime of effort, commitment, and obedience.

This is part A of a four-part series. When you spend a lot of time on an activity, it tends to ruminate through your mind and provide lots of analogies for blog posts.